Page 11 - SRCG_Spring_HTML_2010

Blind Skier The thrill of racing is
hard to adequately
describe. As a VI
Wins Gold skier, just chasing
your guide down the
hill, when they are not
much more than a
J white-out of the snow,
John Erickson, a member of the American Blind Skiing
dark blur against the
Foundation (ABSF), and his guide, Jim Gorman, won
gold medals this year at the NASTAR National Ski Racing
is heart-pounding
enough, but then
Championships in Winter Park, Colo. More than 1,100
there’s the additional
people from all over the country competed.
Here is a report from defending champion Erickson: rush of the countdown
to the race and real-
ization that not follow-
Jim and I arrived in Winter Park Wednesday morning. We ing exactly behind
practiced for a day and then raced twice on Thursday. your guide will result in hitting a gate or a fence, or put
We had two pretty good times. On Friday we had gotten you into the snow outside the race course!
tons of snow overnight and it was still snowing at race
time, so the course was full of “crud” and pretty skied off But when it’s all done, and you’re standing at the bottom,
by the time we raced. On Sunday we participated in the the sense of accomplishment is enormous, no matter what
Race of Champions, where all the gold medal winners do your time is. I hope that others from ABSF and other VI
one race, and we made it top to bottom flawlessly. (It was skiers from around the country will give racing a try!
a black hill so the challenge was definitely there.) After —John H. Erickson
that race, we headed to the top of the mountain (Mary
Jane run, 12,050 ft. elevation) and went top to bottom! For information on the American Blind Skiing Foundation,
There were two other visually impaired skiers there. visit absf.org.

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